Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-06-09
FLATTERING FIGURES,

+, FLATTERINo FIGURES.
An Immense Improvement Over the Re.
| publican Pension Policy.
The following comparative statement
Of the work of the Pension Bureau dur.
ing the last two years of the Republic
an rule and the first two years of the
Democratic Administration speaks vol.
umes. The records of the Government
are, of course, kept by fiscal years, the
appropriations being made by Congress
in that manner:
| In the year ending June 80, 1883,
under the administration of W. w. Dud-
ley, there were ST. pension certifi-
Gates issued, of which number SO, 161
were original cases. and the remainder
increase and miscellaneous claims.
For the fiscal year ending June 80,
1884, the total number of certificates
| issued was Sc, 729, of which 81, 100 were
| original, and the remainder increase
| and miscellaneous cases. In the next
fiscal year, up to the 18th of March,
1885. when the present Commissioner
VIVA So upoi CAC uutIcS "a Ills OulCc,
| there were SO. certificates of all
kinds issued. From March II up to
| June 80 OF the same year, period OF
only two months and half, there
were issued 1852 pension certificates.
The fiscal year ending June 80,
1886, made a splendid showing for
the new administration, there hay
ing been issued 1864 pension
certificates, 40,S52 of which were
original cases. In that same fiscal
year of 1886 there were also is
sued 1885 supplemental certificates
to widows and dependent relatives
whose pension had been increased by
the act of March 10, 1850 grand
total for that one year of 159, 643 allow
ances. These supplemental certificates
were issued within a very few months
after the passage of the law, the Com
missioner of Pensions having person.
sonally directed how the work should
be done. At no time in the history of
the Office has such an enormous num-
Der of pensions been increased without
interference with the regular work of
the office, or without a call upon Con-
gress for additional help. From the
LIST of July, 1886, up to and including
the 30th of April, 1887, there were a.
COS certificates issued, of which 1882
were original cases.
There is yet remaining one month
of the present fiscal year, and the re-
suit will be magnificent showing,
greater by far than any previous year
in the history of the Office. 1t should
be borne in mind that this immense
amount of work has been performed
with reduction of the clerical force
of over 100. With the administration
of the present Commissioner new era
was inaugurated in the Pension Bureau.
He determined to conduct the Office
upon strict business principles, and re-
quired that the entire time of the
clerical force during Office hours should
be devoted to the consideration and
transaction of the public business, and
the settlement of long delayed pension
claims. AS one result of this regula-
ton the fiscal year exhibited saving
in the matter of leaves of absence of
1864 days of the aggregate time of
the clerical force, or forty-two years,
eleven months and four days of the
time OF a single clerk.
In the year of 1886 the present Com
missioner turned over to the treasury
one hundred thousand dollars ($1O0,-
O0O) of unexpended appropriations on
account of the hire of clerical force, and
he effected a saving in the same year
in the item of stationery of over
thirteen thousand dollars (13,OOO)-
this Notwithstanding the fact that the
business Of the bureau has been very
largely increased.
1t was formerly the practice that
when pension claim had been neg
lected-that is, when the claimant or
his attorney had failed to call up the
case for certain length of time, to
mark the case abandoned" and con-
slider it in about the same light as re-
jected case. The Commissioner re-
versed this unjust practice, and re-
quired of his chiefs that all claims
should be given chance of being con-
sidered and finally adjudicated. Every
case filed during his administration
has received prompt attention, and his
order that all cases filed prior to his
entry into office should be examined
before the 1st of June has already been
fully complied with, and there is not
single case in the pending files of the
off ce which has not been examined, and
in which steps have not been taken to-
ward its final settlement. To illustrate
the enormous increase in the business
of the Pension Bureau, during the
month of March, 1884, there were re-
ceived 159, 1888 pieces of mail matter,
and there were sent out from the Office
141, 1913 circulars and letters. In the
month of March, 1887, there were re-
ceived 2S7, pieces of mail mat
ter, and there were stem out from
the office 1912 letters and circu-
lars.
The following table will show the
number of pension certificates issued
during the fiscal years ending June 80.
1888. 1884, 1885, 1886, and for the year
1887 up to the 3Oth of April:
1888. 1884. 1885. 1856. iii psi Sc 50.